Our football coach , Ed Miracle, was shot in the foot playing golf three weeks later . Thanks for the kind comments. When Sheriff I bet I heard them talking about you. My great aunt Alafair lived there till she died and her beauty shop was still there, run by one of daughters the last time I was there. Thanks for letting me rant. My first trial was in Elliott County. I rarely saw Janice after I left the hospital, However, it is likely that the presence of the camera kept the level of murder down during the strike. Small town life can be hard or easy. I was born, raised and still live in Pike County. My Mom taught at Evarts from 1951 to 1980. I dont remember Chappells slogan, but I do remember: Thats what I saidBunny Bread! I also remember the 1st grade field trip to Chappells, Bunny Bread and Harlan Ice. But you also are basically running down the place you were born. Very funny (and true). Like anywhere else, you have to hope to you dont cross paths with the bad ones at the wrong time. Harlan is mean. Harlan has always been divided into pro- and anti-union. . GOD BLESS YOU ALL. My brother actually had a knife pulled on him at Cawood. The hills and hollers made me who I am today and the people I love still call Eastern Kentucky home. I enjoyed your blog ..I too left Harlan to find work ..I recently got turned down for a job doing private duty nurses aide for a new client because I was from Harlan ..The job interview started out very well until she ask where I was from I had an accent 24 years later I still have that accent I think she was worried I was packing a gun..to funny ..love my Harlan county roots ..from Wallins.. ..Oh yeah agree with everyone loved that Gov, cheese. I went to college and had personal and professional opportunities that pulled me away. I go back to Ky at least once a year. I was looking for the turnoff to Loll. If you dont, I cant fault you for that, either. Restoring any closed widgets or categories. I go back once or twice a year to visit relatives. I am an Outlander (orlando), looking to be a Stalwart. Basil Collins was Uncle Basil to us. ha! Rapist who attacked Demi Moore Myself, Im from Loyall which is three miles from the town of Harlan. Just discovered your blog. You hit the nail on the head. I loved living in Ages,Ky for the 2 years I was there!! We meet in Williamsburg, but I love going back to the Creek. I live across the mountains from Harlan in a little off the map place called Leatherwood in perry county. Im sorry but I dont think so. Wouldnt trade my youth spent in Harlan County for any other in the world. WebLearn about Basil Collins: his birthday, age, zodiac sign, his family, and more. jack brock ha d 21 dogs and 21 kids, he got kill by a drunk man he was taking home that was about like the earth quake in los ang years ago it was bad , for those who know my grandpa honey bill saylor and my dad and my friend big al ,arnold lee saylor he was a damn good man i miss alot cause he is in all my boys alot i see him every day yours trunly ronnie gene saylor of molus ky aka molus hollow. Andas for the grid: Morehead is east of Middlesboro. Different, but nice. Everything is right on! Thanks for the article. When we went to high school, we identified as being from Loyallor Hall or Wallins. I was one of the Hensley girls that lived on the strawberry farm. Isolation. I believe they graduated for there on 83. I grew up in this wonderful town, going for summers and Christmas in Atlanta. I made the mistake of posting a picture of Basil on a Harlan County Facebook page. Overall, we like the stereotypical portrayal of Harlan. Jeanette McKendrick Leonard was my Me-maw and the best lady you to have ever been born! My brother and I thought we had died and gone to Heaven. People may had been living on Government cheese when you grew up and the first may had been like a amusement park, but all that has changed. Lots of good folks from across the mountain.. When attempting to explain to someone where I grew up it was easiest to say somewhere between Harlan and Hazard. I actually grew up on Beech Fork in Leslie County. My husband is a retired coal miner. If someone tells you that he or she is from Harlan, they could mean any town from Pathforkto Holmes Mill to Cumberland to Cranks. The culture you describe in Harlan is very similar to Leadville-only the accents are different-except for my dadhe never lost his. So much that even some locals have a hard time understanding me. I am an outlander. Pretty accurate for McCreary Co, as well. Im from Tennessee (save your boos for later, lol) and grew up in a very small, rural town with a lot of off the grid inhabitants. Some are like me. I have been gone from Harlan now for 40 years, One thing I will say is you are accurate in your writings of Harlan. I was born in Pineville, Ky but grew up in Pathfork. He used to go visit with Norman during the strike. He was the hardest worker I have ever known. I was born and raised in Leslie County. We still miss it! BTW I live on Watts Creek and have most of my life..off and on. In Harlan County, tensions were high between the striking miners in Kentucky and the mine owners. Youre probably thinking of Arthur Johnson. Its too dull. Most of us pass through this phase at some point. She agreed. basil collins harlan county obituary - doranekobass.com I live in Nashville now, it seems like everyone here know someone from Harlan. Ill say Im from Harlan, but dont get confused. I appreciate all commentspositive and negative. Im class of 83. We moved here from a comfortable city life to having no electricity (a new three bedroom house with one bath and hardwood floors. Would I be a pretender? I remember commodity butter. What is Eastern Kentucky? Barbara Kopple Reflects I can connect with outlanders here in Georgetown by telling them, I was there the day that McDonalds opened..great times! One can argue that its always been over-populated what with the chronic high unemployment and high poverty rate. I think they graduated in the same class at Cawood. Lynch had a skating rink when I was a teenager. I left to go to school at EKU, meet my wife there, she is from Ohio. Clarence had one brother Howard P. Leonard and Howard P and his wife Lucille had a son named Clarence Edwin Leonard. . Change). born and raised in harlan ky live in northern. There are people who will pretend to be from Harlan or any place else in Eastern Kentucky. I went to Cumberland College, Austin Peay Univ for my first masters, Trevecca University for my doctorate, second masters, and administrative certification. Most of my old mean crowd are dead. This is where Norma lives, was the reply. And Misty, April and I grew up together. It will always be home to me. Sometimes you hear gun fire in the distance, but thats in the woods. Harlan County was fighting for the right to have a union. All thats left is the yard and that light. Harlan County, Kentucky: Basil Collins miner foreman and leader/manager of the scabs confronts picketers with a 45 in his right pocket. I attended LoyallElementary and Junior High and James A. Cawood High School. 1. Yes, we have folks living in povertytoo many (as though there is an acceptable level of suffering) but most folks live just fine. My mom was from Lynch and my dad from Without. I have lived here all my life and even tho at times i feel like due to work i may have to leave, i doubt i ever could. No wonder I was overwhelmed. Knew a few Edsels which I never met outside Harlan! Ive got a few more Harlan County memories. ! Whatd I say? Really enjoyed the article. Even though they have visited my homeland many times, they remain baffled by it. Youd be surprised how many of us moved here from other places (quite a few from other countries), were welcomed as friends, made our homes here and raised our families here. Basil was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid, so I know he was He lived there with his wife my Aunt Hazel and their children Laura Jean, Stanley and Mickey. Great story and oh so true, every word of it. The first of the month is a big time in Harlan. In fact, I got up this morning with the intent or renewing my research. It is good to hear from you and I hope to hear from you again. We have corresponded back and forth for several years about our Leonard connections. its more home to me than anywhere ever will be. We hiked deep into the woods for good sled trails in the winter. She always bought some, even though she was never sure if doing so was legal. Doc Gray? Very isolated. The truth, of course, probably lies somewhere in the middle. Growing up, I didnt feel particularly tough. My ancestors settled Smith, hence its name, and Im proud of it being off the grid. I worked with them both at Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital in the late 60s, early 70s. Jenny, I worked in Harlan Co. in the 90s on the railroad and worked with a Saylor but cant remember his first name. U take car cuz. I know it well. I LOVE where i am from and am harlan county proud even when i dont have much to be proud of.lol. I love your blog, it is a great read. The original Mount Aire Motel was on Pine Mountain, and it burned down in the 70s. Fantastic post, though. I visit very often, as my father still lives there. Stalwarts, outlanders, pretenders, loathers you left one group out. E Hudson. I dont think I have an accent but get me out of Pike County and they all say I do. They dont want to sound like Harlan or look like Harlan. I live here because I truly love this beautiful part of Kentucky and America. Howdy, The sinister way he talked. My grandfolks, originally from Johnson Ct. lived up at the end of a holler. Did you live here? Maybe its the camo/orange. Help me out with what category to look at to fi the hitchhiking story. I raised my daughter hereBTW she has owned a successful swimming pool and fence company here for 35 yrs. Their isnt anyone who acts the way you have described them in this concoction, Nor is the area the way you have presented it. An outlander is someone who used to live in Harlan. Born and raised in Harlan, graduated from HHS in 1974, and UK in 78.went to work in Washington DC.talk about culture shock! (She died in 1995, and I am so glad to have such good and often funny memories of her.) Thanks! I am a brand new grandma and I am Mamaw to that beautiful baby. When we heard a car coming we knew we were having company.we usually hid to see who it was. . Scott describes the murder of Lawrence Jones by Billy Bruner. Construction on the house beat the power company by a few years. Not a native but my ears always perk up when I hear Harlan. Finished my last year in high school from there. I am definitely proud of my heritage, both generally mountain/Appalachian and Harlan County in particular. Basil Collins Harlan County But I have lived in Harlan Co. since 1986 & now I couldnt imagine living any where else. It was gray and you had to add the coloring to it. Ive been trying to read up on as much as I can on the people in the documentary. . Harlan County, Kentucky Murdered while running against Boyle. I told him apparently his computer didt speak Hillbilly.I am proud of my head of the holler rasin. | Coal Troll's Blog, My Life in Harlan County | Williams Kilpatrick, PLLC. I grew up here, went to school here and am still here by choice. Again I will say Harlan is a great place to be from but I would not want to live there today. Personal details. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit but my parents were from Harlan County, my dad born in Holmes Mill growing up in Highsplint, my mother born and raised in Black Mountain eventually leaving and lived in Corbin. my husband was raised knowing your dad and all your family I love your blog. Thank you so much for sharing. The economy continues to contract and isnt likely to get much better. Publicado el marzo 4, 2023 por marzo 4, 2023 por My Mother married her high school sweethart Robert Kitts right before he left for the army as WWII started. Youve made me think about Harlan all day today and its been a good day. It was a thriving community in the 60s-70s. Why? No one should have to make a livin working between 2 rocks. I lived through that strike, my dad was in charge of security for Eastover, so I guess that made him the head gun thug to many. The motel next to Holy Trinity was a Holiday Inn Express at one time, but now its a Comfort Inn. In reference to going swimming in the river and the city pool, we did that too. Finally I tried talking like a city slicker but I was too Eastern Kentucky that way. There are a lot of us spread over the country, but we still think of ourselves as being from Harlan. Im sure youd know if you were related. Thanks. I lived in Harlan and Loyall. Ruth Ann was my older brothers age. Im from Loyall. Alan Creech, such nice thoughts and memories of this beautiful part of God earth that I am proud to call home. Basil Noel I JUST RAN ACROSS YOUR CONVERSATION AND THOUGHT I WOULD COMMENT ON HARLAN KY. (LogOut/ I KNOW A LOT OF REALLY GOOD PEOPLE AT CAWOOD AND SMITH, KY. I remember it seemed like every time my high school played Cawood there was a knife fight. LOL LOL..enjoyed the article, One way to prove that someone is from the mountains is if they know someone named Lonzo! We were not eligible for the government cheese, but my aunt was, & she would always bring us some, every month. Always. (: Did you know Jo Alice Chitwood or Lance Johnson? My Dad was a coal miner, was on oxygen from 2007 until 2010. Good memories there. Still have a few family members there and many friends. WebHarlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky.As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. I dont know. We were poor and I will say very poor. Moved to Indiana at about 15 or 16 years of age. We visited my grandparents every summer. Oh, you might go to Garys Lounge and Roller Rink sometimes. I grew up in Browning Acres, just down the street from both the hospital and Cawood High School. Your mother was my teacher at Hall High for four years. And the tell me they can always tell when Im talking to a relative on the phone for the same reason. It has always been home for me. Were about the same age. Black Diamonds In My Own Backyard-- Rufus J. Bailey 3. Oh, people still get shot occasionally but at much lower rate than wed like you to believe. We lived in Yancey when I was born, moved to Brookside, then moved to Evarts (Woods Mine Area) before moving to Walker County, AL. Yes I remember you, vaguely, it has been a long time. Parents moved to Dayton, OH in 63. Sherry Jones Hall. Bad-ass wasnt the first word to come to mind, but I sure didnt want to mess with those folk! NEAR CLOSPLINT KY AND I AM PROUD TO BE FROM HARLAN CO THAT IS HOME ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN CORBIN KY NOW. 62 (10) 1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1921. Good to hear from you. For instance, threats didnt faze me. My Aunt Pauline is 95 now and still lives there. I live in Lexington now as well have since 1990. I live in Lee Co,Ky. Glad I did not move here and my kids there, My children have been able to say they are from Eastern Ky as both were born down there. why dont u come back?i know why ,because it is to political and if your not a doctor or a lawyer or have plenty of money ,you aint shit yeah the mountains are nice and this is a beautiful place, but if you aint in the click you aint shit and thats the way it really is you just like the bloody harlan shit and it makes you look BADASS to tell people your from here .your a joke dude and quit livin off a place that you evidentally really no nothin about ..post this DUMBASS . LOL. Then we moved up on Park Hill in Loyall. I know that area well. If its hard, its hopeless. It was a Best Western when it was first built. Thank you. And they were well respected. It has been both fascinating and sad as well to learn so much about the history, struggles, strength and resilience of the Harlan countians. Where you from?..Pike Countylol. It was a movie experience like no other. I am VERY new to the blogging world. Ring any bells? There arent running gun battles anymore like the famed Battle of Evarts many decades ago. I also would talk to Art at the store in Loyall, where I would stop to get gas. You are so right, except I dont know anyone named Lonzo. You have to sound like us. My cousin posted the link on Facebook and I have not been able to move till finishing the read. Harlan is total badass. I have all the respect in the world for the good people in Harlan county its rough with mines getting shut down and people loosing what they know best and thats coal Im sorry it rough that is a reason I moved but keep strong everyone in Harlan has a big heart and I promise they are some the best people u ever meet in ur life. They had two fabulous sons who have college education with degrees in medical field and other fields. Enjoyed the article. Basil was a neighbor of ours when I was a kid, so I know he was real. A man that loved Absolutely loved this!! I go there to visit, and it has improved somewhat, but I like my central Ky home in LaRue county much better. Oh yeah, one last thingI am a coal miners daughter..and damned proud of it. People gathered at the railroad tracks to watch it. I would have loved to have had that McDonalds there when I was kid. Trust me on this one. Glad that youre happy in whatever metro area you moved to. My Pappaw Creech was a coal miner, as were most of his brothers. My grandparents, Elve and Flaura Campbell, moved to Sunshine and eventually to Loyall. Home; Movies; TV Shows; People. This is the first time I stumbled across you blog. Whatever happened to Basil Collins? - Answers Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Its called age, my friend. Weve been in the Lexington area since then, but we still say back home when we are talking about Neon and Jenkins. ITS GOOD TO HEAR FROM OTHER HARLAN CO PEOPLE. I was just in Harlan County this weekend. Harlan County, USA Its nice to read good thoughts of Harlan County. The Chappells Dairy Slogan: It may be good and not be ours, but it cant be ours and not be good. That I can remember but I cant find my car in the parking lot? This one in particular may be of interesthttps://thetrivialtroll.com/2013/07/13/hometown-loyall-ty/ Theres nothing to do. Im from graysknob, pine branch was were I lived till I was 17 then we moved to Putney. Who are the Harlan Countians? I was about 11-12 and I remember we played outside constantly. I dont get back as often as Id like but always thoroughly enjoy coming back to visit. Harlan County, U.S.A. The Revealer My dad spent much of childhood there in the 30s. Graduated from jach in 78. I have a heavy heavy accent. Rarely is an Eastern Kentucky county a destination. Your ignorant, evidently you dont much about Catlettsburg in the early 1900s . No one from Harlan . Sometimes, the film would jam and you could watch it melt. Read my post about growing up in Loyall sometime. I guess teenagers everywhere just hang out. You nailed it. My kids do that, too. My Mom taught at SE Community College. No matter where Ive traveled in this great country, I never fail to meet someone that is either from Harlan, or knows someone that lives there!! We were always suspicious of outsiders, especially those offering help. We could tell if you were from Ohio or Michigan or some other exotic place. We had our own post office, City Hall and fire station. I was born in Pike County but grew up in Flatwoods in Greenup County. Theirs will be more like trips to Kings Island, etc. The old structure is still up there on Pine Mountain. Have you checked out Welcome To Watts Creek site? And we DID bathe just like people from up north. Well written and interesting. Im very impressed by your writing. Harlan County We often visited Harlan as most of our relatives were there. Although its closer to Hazard than Harlan, I would reply, Bean Patch Holler on Irishman Creek! They loved it! Then, they can come back and pay admission to see where they used to live. Thanks. I was born and raised in Sunshine. There has always been tension between those who work and those who dont or wont. Harlan County, USA is not only a great documentary, but a great film. Grew up in Sunny Acres, now across from the mall. My grandfather was the engineer that laid out most of the old County roads, was one of the 10 founders of the Harlan Country Club, and my dad owned the Tway Tipple for yearsyes, coal will always run in my veins! Basil Collins is recorded in slow motion firing a gun at the camera while members of the strikebreakers beat Ms. Kopple and her crew. Nimrod Workman. I have got too much time and information invested in my research to keep up with to just ignore my research. I grew up in Wilhoit and went to Loyall High for the first part of my freshman year, then moved to Indiana, but I still go back to Harlan often, my sister still lives there. I worked as a car hop from Denny rays rite out of high school. You brought back a lot of memories. My Dad used to talk about when they distributed commodity margarine. My parents married in Harlan County in 1949. =). LOL! Hi aurea, Ive helped ur grand paw make many many gallons of moonshine just over the hill from ur mom n dads house. She retired in 1982. One of the great things about Harlan is that changes very little. They find it hard to believe we had no fast food restaurants. Arthur died when his house burned a few yrs ago. The Fuzzy Duck, the Corner and the VFW. I know that area well. As usual John you nailed it!! Remember all the men that used to hang out around the courthouse, sitting on the little wall? Robertson County is the toughest to exclude. My Mom was a nurse at the hospital there (where I was born in 66). Collins spent more than three years as a prisoner of war in Japan. Okay, now Im homesick! Fine set of words here! Spent a lot of time at the top of the hill up Watts Creek. I never got a straight story from my parents and possibly they didnt know why or what happened. I have to say, I know of nobody named Lonzo. . My sister in law was born over in Leatherwood. I found the search function and found the story. HA! Maybe 700 or so now. I made another U turn and started back toward Harlan at a much slower pace and was directed to take the Loyall turn off. WebWives leader, short black hair. The other side was the Lounge, a long, narrow open room with a dance floor. Now, far in the past, at least until I visit. Like you, I loved growing up there but couldnt see myself living there now. I was rather disappointed to read all about my competition Garys Lounge. Earlier strikes had resulted in a great deal of bloodshed on both sides. I would sometimes go out and spend a month or two with my grandparents and spend some nights with other family members in Harlan and Bell counties. WebIn his new introduction to the reissue of Harlan Miners Speak, an on-the-scene report from a panel of writers about the coal strike in Bell and Harlan Counties, John Hennen skillfully explains the precipitating factors of the labor unrest. Ive really enjoyed reading this article. I had to laugh at your reference to government cheese. It really was good stuff! Born and raised as you said in Lynch You pretty much hit the nail on the head.. great write-up. Vacation at Hilton Head, Tybee Island, Myrtle Beach, Hawaii, have an American Spirit Coachman that sleeps ten and a pontoon. I know that area, well, too. Did you know Jimmy C. Morgan? We like being the badasses of Eastern Kentucky. Check out some of my other posts. My mother taught Home Ec at Evarts for 28 years. what happened to basil collins Dad was a good friend of Norman Yarboroughs. I grew up in the town of Harlan, at the bottom of Ivy Hill. Bell county baby.We got the mountains here too. Bloody Harlan is just badass. https://thetrivialtroll.com/2012/03/10/adventures-in-hitchhiking/. By the way, Cumberland had the Novo Theater and the drive-in theater as well. They may be from such places as Shields, Jones Creek, Smith, Cranks, Punkin Center or Happy Top, although I can name you folks from all those places who have done quite well for themselves. Dickens said it best . We outlanders like our Harlan roots. I spent at least a week during the summer vacation every year growing up visiting the Harlan area and family enjoying every visit which included rail road tracks and slate dumps on one side of house and the Cumberland River on the other side all residing in a big holler off HWY 38. While my friends and fellow graduates were leaving here, I was happy to stay in a place I loved. One guy said we were like Indians who left the reservation. If we had a problem like that today in my slice of Suburbia, there would be a full-blown panic. Mrs Abraham was my Home Ec teacher @Hall High. WebThis option will reset the home page of this site. I was born and raised in Liggett. So if you have a iota of respect for you mom and dad, grandma and grandpa you will correct this mess and actually write something that isnt from fifty years ago. I called some place the other day, got an automated machine.your name, address, (Im sorryI didnt get that could you repeat that again. (LogOut/ I am simultaneously entertained and offended. Never making any differences in us. If its easy, theres nothing better. To the men that worked at the Highsplint mine, where the majority of filming took place for the documentary, he was the one responsible for making sure Basil and his men got through to work every day. Have lived in SC for the past 25 yrs but everyone who knows me knows where I come from. He was 85 when he starred in this movie. Raised up on Happy Top, Back Street and Creechs. Your Great Grandfather John D. and my Grandfather Brack H. were brothers and my Grandmother Geanie and your Great Grandmother Jeanette were sisters. Basil Collins I graduated in 80. I was in her class the day JFK was shot in Dallas. Thanks for the comments. If you read it carefully, youll note that I said I havent lived there in 30+ years. We have accents which are obscured by our penchant for mumbling. Very proud of my heritage. It captured the essence of Jimmy. U may or may not remember it and I also did alot of the fencing around the many many acres he and ur moms own. Criterion Commentaries: Harlan County U.S.A. She stayed there for a few months but felt things just werent the same so she moved back to Newport News where she had made some good friends. My Dad and his six siblings were all raised in Evarts. I was born in Atlanta and moved here when my step-daddy (forevermore referred to as daddy) and my momma met when he was proudly serving this country.He a handsome young man from the mountainsshe a beautiful divorced young woman with two small children. art halcomb. Cheese is the only thing the US government ever perfected. Sadly, they didnt seem to be doing well.